Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-xtgtn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T14:53:34.141Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Evidence of electric-field-accelerated growth of tin whiskers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 September 2015

Anthony C. Vasko ,
Corey R. Grice ,
Andrew D. Kostic  and
Victor G. Karpov
Anthony C. Vasko
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
Corey R. Grice
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
Andrew D. Kostic
Affiliation:
Aerospace Corporation, 14745 Lee Road, Chantilly, VA 20151, USA
Victor G. Karpov*
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
*
Address all correspondence to Victor G. Karpov atvictor.karpov@utoledo.edu
Get access

Abstract

This paper presents experimental results supporting a theory that electric fields accelerate the growth of tin (Sn) whiskers. We have rapidly (within one week) grown long (~100 µm) and dense (~300 mm−2) whiskers on thin Sn films. Humidity and an applied electric field are found to have a strong effect when applied together, making whiskers orders of magnitude longer and denser. An evidence of explosive whisker development is presented.

Type
Research Letters
Information
MRS Communications , Volume 5 , Issue 4 , December 2015 , pp. 619 - 622
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Galyon, G.T.: Annotated tin whisker bibliography and anthology. IEEE Trans. Electron. Packag. Manuf. 28, 94 (2005). http://thor.inemi.org/webdownload/newsroom/TW_,biblio-July03.pdf Google Scholar
2. Brusse, J., Ewell, G., and Siplon, J.: In Tin Whiskers: Attributes and Mitigation, Capacitor and Resistor Technology Symp. (CARTS), (New Orleans, LA) March 25–29, (2002), pp. 68–80.Google Scholar
3. Davy, G.: Private communication, October 2014; quoted in V.G. Karpov: Electrostatic mechanism of nucleation and growth of metal whiskers. SMT Magazine, February 2015, p. 28. http://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/455818/44 Google Scholar
4. Zhang, Y.: Tin whisker discovery and research. In Soldering in Electronics, edited by Suganuma, K. (Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, 2004), p. 121.Google Scholar
5. Tu, K.N., Suh, J.O., and Wu, A.T.: Tin whisker growth on lead-free solder finishes. In Lead-Free Solder Interconnect Reliability, edited by Shangguan, D. (ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio, 2005), p. 851.Google Scholar
6. Bunyan, D., Ashworth, M.A., Wilcox, G.D., Higginson, R.L., Heath, R.J., and Liu, C.: Tin whisker growth from electroplated finishes a review. Trans. Inst. Met. Finish. 91, 249–259 (2013).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Tin Whisker Homepage. http://nepp.nasa.gov/whisker. Bibliography for Tin Whiskers, Zinc Whiskers, Cadmium Whiskers, Indium Whiskers, and Other Conductive Metal and Semiconductor Whiskers, John R. Barnes. http://www.dbicorporation.com/whiskbib.htm Google Scholar
8. Amato, I.: Tin whiskers: the next Y2K problem? Fortune Mag. 151, 27 (2005). http://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2005/01/10/8230971/index.htm Google Scholar
9. Karpov, V.G.: Electrostatic theory of metal whiskers. Phys. Rev. Appl. 1, 044001 (2014).Google Scholar
10. Karpov, V.G.: Electrostatic mechanism of nucleation and growth of metal whiskers. SMT Magazine, February 2015, p. 28. http://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/455818/44 Google Scholar
11. Liu, S.H., Chen, C., Liu, P.C., and Chou, T.: Tin whisker growth driven by electrical currents. J. Appl. Phys. 95, 7742 (2004).Google Scholar
12. Crandall, E.R.: Factors governing thin whisker growth. Ph.D. Thesis, Auburn, Alabama, 2012. http://ldfcoatings.com/articles/ErikaCrandall.pdf Google Scholar
13. Hilty, R.D., Corman, N., and Herrmann, H.: Electrostatic fields and current-flow impact on whisker growth. IEEE Trans. Elec. Packag. Manuf. 28, 75–81 (2005).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14. Ashworth, M.A., Wilcox, G.D., Higginson, R.L., Heath, R.J., and Liu, C.: Effect of direct current and pulse plating parameters on tin whisker growth from tin electrodeposits on copper and brass substrates. Trans. Inst. Met. Finish. 91, 260–268 (2013).Google Scholar
15. Fang, T., Osterman, M., and Pecht, M.: Statistical analysis of tin whisker growth. Microelectron. Reliab. 46, 846 (2006).Google Scholar
16. Panashchenko, L.: Evaluation of environmental tests for tin whisker assessment. MS Thesis, University of Maryland, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1903/10021 Google Scholar
17. Susan, D., Michael, J., Grant, R.P., McKenzie, B., and Yelton, W.G.: Morphology and growth kinetics of straight and kinked tin whiskers. Metal. Mater. Trans. A 44, 1485 (2013).Google Scholar
18. Mason, M. and Eng, G.: Understanding tin plasmas: a new approach to tin whisker plasma risk assessment. In IEEE IRPS, U.Md. CALCE, April 2007. https://nepp.nasa.gov/whisker/reference/tech_papers/2007-Eng-tin-plasma.pdf Google Scholar